Habs development camp opens Sunday

See Part 1 of camp roster here; see Part 2 of roster here. (Click on magnifying glass when loaded to enlarge each document.) Following is the Canadiens’ news release:

The Montreal Canadiens announced today that 33 players will participate in the first of two development camp sessions, set to take place from June 5-9, at the Bell Sports Complex, in Brossard.

The list of participating prospects includes several players drafted by the organization, players from the Hamilton Bulldogs as well as players invited as try-outs.

The second part of the development camp, to include players to be selected at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft to be held on June 24-25 in Minnesota, will take place from July 5-9, also at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard. The first edition of the Canadiens development camp took place in 2001.

The Canadiens prospects will first take to the ice on Sunday, June 5, from 4-6 p.m. The development camp session consists of two on-ice trainings daily on both ice surfaces at the Bell Sports Complex (7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3:15-5:30 p.m.). All practice are open to the public. Off-ice conditioning sessions are also scheduled each day.

Fourteen of the 33 players at camp are Canadiens draft selections, including the club’s first selections from the past three NHL Entry Drafts: Jarred Tinordi (2010), Louis Leblanc (2009) and Danny Kristo (2008).

I don’t think AK will be offered a contract and he will hit the FA market where he might have trouble getting signed. His rep has caought up with him and he not ready to play all the time well most of the time.

Detroit. Just their kind of guy. Somehow they find a way to find a fit for individual player’s talents (Bertuzzi, Cleary) and suddenly the “character issues” go away or are minimized. That’s why they are the premier organization in hockey and one of the best in pro sports.

I am not a big fan of AK but we aren’t exactly loaded with talent at the forward positioin. We need to keep him.

Top 5 names for me at Camp: RW Alex Avtsin, RW Brendan Gallagher, RW Danny Kristo, C Louis Leblanc and RW Aaron Palushaj. Avtsin is a project, but I think a 2nd season injury-free with the roster spots opened up in HAM offer an opportunity for him. Gallagher has the best natural instinct for scoring in the organization. Kristo’s speed looks great to transition to the NHL, as he can make plays even when he’s going full out. Louis Leblanc’s playing through shoulder problems for close to half a year shows a ton of grit in the young man, along with solid two-way talent and Palushaj may be jumping to the big club in 11-12.

Top 5 Long-Term Prospects: D Jarred Tinordi, LW Steve Quailer, RW Gabriel Dumont, C Joonas Nattinen and C Michael Bournival. Tinordi is the dream for the blue line, a potential Hal Gill with a mean streak but has solid skating to back it up. Quailer has two more seasons in NCAA To regain the form that had him score 25 points in his first season at Northeastern before a blown ACL knocked his development off course. Dumont showed an uptick at the AHL playoffs when he scored 6 goals, trailing only Dawes and Palushaj on the squad. Nattinen projects as a two-way centre with a fantastic faceoff instinct, he had a 73% faceoff efficiency at the 2010 WJC and a 63% efficiency at the 2011 WJC.

Top-5 “Of Interest”: LW Alain Berger, RW Ian Schultz, C Andreas Engqvist, D Brendon Nash, D Morgan Ellis. Berger was the overage Swiss forward signed out of the Oshawa Generals, he has the potential to be a grinder who will plant himself in front of the net. Ian Schultz has a similar quality to Berger, but with the added benefit of having a hell of a knack for fighting. Engqvist could be a 4th-line C, best D-forward in Hamilton last season, but skating has to be improved, as does his strength. Nash, I really, really like his poise on the ice, tends to have an solid instinct to be at the right places during play. Ellis, it’s hard to tell when a defencemen is on a terrible team, but I think he’s got something to him.

Thanks for the analysis. It seems to me , based on what you wrote that there are three players who could make a move onto the big club with specific roles and impact.

Palushaj, based on his improvement during the year in Hamilton may have a better than average chance of replacing one of the minor players (Pyat/Pouliot/Halpern) on the current club next season. He is fast and smart and can score and is not intimidated. He HAS to add size during the off season, he looked really small in his stint in Mtl.

I agree with you re Gallagher. And from all indications I would add that he seems to also have intensity, work ethic and some of the small man-s Darcy-Tucker type grit. Maybe he is the best bet of the junior/college lot to soon end up on the big club.

Finally Schultz. I dont know much about him but I like your reference to him being able to take care of business. Hope he shows better this year in camp(s) than he did last year.

Robert: Does the poor season Tinordi is said to have had in London have any predictive value for the future? Should he have worked more on his hockey skills and less on fighting? He didn’t make the USA WJC team — is there a chance we’re overrating him?

I think Tinordi was trying to do a bit too much to prove he was tough last season, but at the same time from most scouting reports I read he had marked improvement through the season and had adapted very well by the end of the year. Next season will be notable, as it’s an opportunity to make the U20 squad for the US and become a dominant defensive D in the OHL.

I think Tinordi makes a big step this year. He started off slow adjusting from the USHL to the OHL and like you said a little lower he was trying really hard to prove how tough he is (I think that was driven by the Hunter coaching staff) and his stats were probably influenced by the fact that by the end of the season he was playing top line D minutes and the London Knights weren’t a great team last season.

Nattinen’s combination of size and faceoff ability is very intriguing long term, especially given their poor play on the draws against the B’s in round one.

I’m hoping that after a year of adjusting to the North American lifestyle will have Avtsin take a big jump on the ice this season.

Hopefully Shultz lays off the cheeseburgers this offseason and takes conditioning and skating seriously. He’s just the type of player that the Habs need but they can’t rush him.

And finally someone else who see’s something in Ellis. Cape Breton was so bad but Ellis seemed to make a positive impact in their games and the kid’s gotta have a tone of character to keep it together as a captain of a team that’s that bad.

I often come to this site long after everyone has engaged in earnest discussion of the hot topics of the day, week, sometimes months ago, so to try to respond to each post that catches my fancy daily would be an exercise in futility. People have moved on and are not likely to retrace the steps of others to find what new insights I might have inserted into the discussion.
So, let me just say this about some of the more interesting posts I’ve come across among today’s threads, with a view to increasing everyone’s understanding of certain issues (I won’t mention the subjects per se; my observations will make it obvious):

“Yeah, right!”

“You might want to rethink that one after you sober up.”

“Brilliant! I wish I had thought of that. And expressed it so eloquently.”

“I hate to break it to you but he died nine years ago. But, I agree, we could use him on the wing.”

“You’re the one guy whose avatar I look for every time I visit this site because I know what you have to say is even-handed, concise and provocative. If there were a HIO Poster of the Year, I’d vote for you.”

JB, it’s a pleasure to awake and find such an eloquent post directly addressed to me. Now, now…don’t go getting all embarrassed. I know my comments can be a tad distracting, sometimes controversial and often without a sense of any true moral compass. But it’s good to see someone acknowledge the true wisdom and insight that I provide here on a daily basis. Cheers! (Oh, and it’s 8 years ago, and I still say he has more life in him than the stiff we have there now).

If we HAVE to keep Spacek and his cap hit going in to next season, I say sign Markov, Gorges, Wiz and Kostitsyn to not-so-expensive 1-year contracts. NEXT year we can lock’em up long term to higher contracts when Spacek (and Moen’s) contract expire. Here’s what our lineup could look like next year:

Besides, Markov should accept because he’s (obviously) a risk and if he could play at least 75 games, give back his $5-5.75 M/year salary for 2012-13. As for Wiz/Gorges, raise’em close to $4 M.
And for those of you who think we can get Torres next year, I’d like to have him too but realistically, I’m PRETTY sure he would rather stay in Vancouver. Same for Bieksa.

1. Pacioretty is likely to get a deal close to what Andrei Kostitsyn got after his entry level contract expired. $1.5 million is underselling it. They made the mistake of giving Plekanec a short term deal, and now they’re paying an extra $2.5 million annually for it. I don’t expect that to happen with Pacioretty. He’ll get a three – five year deal in the $2.5- $3.5 million dollar range.

2. Joel Ward is not worth $1.8 million annually but will probably get north of $2 million annually for his playoff performance.

3. Gorges isn’t getting a penny under $3 million annually.

4. Wisniewski isn’t signing anything for a penny under $5 million annually.

5. Only way Markov takes a deal paying that amount is if it’s a three to five year deal. The shorter the term(which the Habs want), the more it’s going to cost.

Patch miiiiight get 2.5mil, but I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if we sign him for less than 2mil. He was playing great, but 37 games of good production doesn’t warrant as much loot as you’re talking about.

I’m hoping Gorges doesn’t cost us more than 3mil, but he certainly might. I love the guy like Tim Thomas loves cake, and he’s excellent defensively for sure and an awesome guy to boot, but lack of offensive punch and size/physical play shouldn’t cost much more than 3mil.

I could definitely see teams offering Wiz 5mil because offensive defensmen are a hot commodity, but because of his lackluster defensive abilities, that’s overpaying. He’ll probably get it though.

Kostitsyn scored 53 points just prior to getting his deal. That’s why with rising salaries and a rising cap I see him getting $2.5 million to $3 million. Kostitsyn earned a little more than that and Pacioretty has certainly shown the promise that Kostitsyn did when he got his deal.

It will be at least three years too, which makes me think they’ll have to overpay a little bit to get it done.

Technically we could get Josh to cuz he’s an RFA, but that would be insulting to someone who is among the leaders on the team and a promising young defensive talent.

Markov would be ideal on a 1 year contract to prove he can stay healthy and still play at an elite level, but again, he’s one of the team’s leaders and has been the best, or one of the best players we’ve had on or roster for the better part of a decade.

Wiz will get tons of offers and wants some long-term security after bouncing around the league so much. He’s earned it with his point production and proving he could stay healthy after all his knee injuries.

– Wiz isn’t worth close to $5 M. At most, maybe a generous $4.25 M. The only teams that would be even close to offer him more are the Rangers (see Gomez), the Bruins (G-D forbid!) or the Laffs (Brian Burke, need I say more). Besides, he loves Montreal and the fans love him. He even started to take French lessons!
– Mike D – I read the entire Wiz vs. Bieksa argument you had with someone else the other day (I’m not looking to start it again) and I’m sorry but you can’t even compare Bieksa and Wiz. Just my opinion. I’d pay Bieksa $5 M any day before I pay Wiz $5 M. Bieksa is MUCH better defensively and he has as much as Wiz has offensively, just without the shot. Don’t get me wrong, I love Wiz, but he turns the puck over too much in our end and can be a defensive liability on a bad day. I see Wiz as a career 3rd-5th defenseman and I’d take him if he is willing to accept that role at the right price.
– The signing of Gorges/Markov/Wiz would be on the condition where they sign 1 year for cheaper, then get their long term deals plus raises going into 2012-13.
– I was unaware about that RFA rule where you can’t pay below the current salary (I should’ve known), but I’d still take AK46 as a THIRD liner IF we can afford him : P
– I don’t think MaxPac is worth $2 M just yet. He’s also one of my favorite players but he’s at a point where he has to prove himself and play one or two full seasons (with 50+ pts in 75-82 gms) before he can receive a $2M+ salary. I’m also worried about him not being 100% because of an apparent “hockey play”.

Sorry about the lecture. At first I thought it was “a couple of things”. But it never is anyway.

I stopped reading this lecture after the first sentence. First of all, who cares what you think Wiz is worth? After Lidstrom (a UFA by formality only) and Markov, Wiz is BY FAR the best UFA defenceman available so trust everyone when they tell you he;s getting $5M. At least.
Too many fans come on here and spew contracts and signings like the NHL is an Xbox game or something. No one can deny there are unlimited tangibles regarding real-life contracts so why do y’all continue to pretend what you think matters a lick?
It don’t.

Christian Ehrhoff is better, Eric Brewer is better, Kevin Bieksa is better, Joni Pitkanen is better, Ed Jovanovski is arguably better but on the decline… these guys have proven they can rack up points year after year and even play solid defensively. Wiz had an breakout season this year in points, yes, but he has to prove he can continue to produce year after year, even more so due to his average defensive play. And yes it does matter how much we resign him for because if we overpay him, it will just add to the $12 M that Gomez and Spacek are eating up.
And about Pacioretty no, I’m no Dr. Recchi. I’m just thinking about reality. I’m sure he’ll be fine (I really hope so), but there is a possibility that he won’t be. Besides, now that he’s had one concussion, he’ll be more fragile and at a higher risk to get another.

I agree, Darche outscored Gomez for 1/16th of the cost. I think he could also teach the young guys something about dedication, he got his first one-way contract at 32 so he knows what it’s like to fight for a chance to play in the NHL.

Everything you hear about Jean is true..and more so. He’s a regal presence with a genuine interest in “average” people. I have met a lot of NHL players in my time and they are a diverse lot just like any group of people you come across. To a man, they all say Jean Beliveau personifies class. Phil Esposito once told me that the rule in the Boston clubhouse was “not to wake Jean up” during a game or series. He could and would take over a series very quickly.

We have been fortunate to have the ultimate role model as the face of the organization all these years.Here’s hoping there is many more..Get well soon Mr. Beliveau!

Our prospect list is very thin on D and in goal. On D- 4 of the 8 in camp are here on try-outs (we know how often that works into a contract). In goal it’s even worst, only 1 is a prospect we “bought” last season, ECHL. All the rest are here on try-outs. Again- OUCH!

Dogs will have to sign a few goalies and D this upcoming year. Assuming Carle is gone, I think they only have 4 signed for next year.

Fed can still muster a performance like his magnificent one today but its’ getting rarer since Nadal and Djokovic took over men’s tennis. Hope he wins it on Sunday cause the majors are getting harder and harder for him to win. It’s so competitive on the men’s side now.

That Brit announcer today was annoying as all get out..then I remembered that Murray got ousted by Nadal in the other semi-final and it would seen the announcer transferred his annoyance at that on the Fed’s chances. “Fed is going to have a letdown in this 2nd set! He’s going to blink” lol…yeah, He blinked his way right into yet another final in the Grand Slam..

He was a decent goalie with a respectable future. But, like most Petes prospects of the post-2006 memorial cup run, they were killed by a) inept management, b) bad coaching, c) a team that lost pretty much every night.

* Markov deal next week. You heard it here first. And before you ask for a source, it’s just me wee l’il head.

* Sweet Jeebus on a unicycle. At the risk of appearin’ sexist, I’m findin’ this a hair disturbin’. I’m hopeful they aren’t doin’ the nylon-mashin’ thing, as well. It just isn’t right.

* Tinordi’s a tower. He’s also a teenager. A solid 10 lbs, at a minimum, would give him more Tyler Myers proportionality, a guy with a similar frame. Maybe Jarry should hook up with Skillsie – who’s got a whoppin’ 35-lb one-inch height advantage on him, but is a wide guy – and Larry, who are apparently spottin’ each other while Skillsie waits for his daughters’ school to let out.

* What? I mean WHAT? The two teams in the SCF are bitchin’ & whinin’ about each other in the media, be it for bitin’, divin’, fightin’, or connivin’? Really? And people are complainin’ about the complainin’. It’s tantamount to complainin’ about it snowin’ in winter. Happens every year. It’s all part of the process. Relax, sit back, and enjoy.

Agreed on the leg hair. A tidy Brazilian is the most hair I want to see.

I’m not a big fan of the playoff beard either. Yes, there is the marketing angle, but bear-lovers are a fairly small subculture.

In fact, male facial hair, like driving a mini-van, owning one of those drooly dogs, collecting salt and pepper shakers shaped in the form of animals, or supporting the Boston Bruins – is something I just don’t get.

Ugh. When Friedman brought up JFJ, I puked in my mouth. A lot, and it came out blue and white. No Winnipegger can forget (nor should we forgive) the travesty that the Sr. made of the Jets during his time. Great player, terrible GM. Laughed my a$$ off when the Leafs hired his son. No chance that TNSE makes that mistake, they have their guy already. Can JFJ do any hockey job correctly? Probably, but until he does it, no one knows what that is.

And sad as it seems, Teemu isn’t coming ‘home’. His family is Californian and that train has sailed. But no matter, he could take a dump on the Jets logo and still be #1 in WPG.

re Markov, no doubt he’s trying to get his ‘last’ NHL contract, while PG and The Count are saying 2 years @ your last salary and let’s test the knee. Both will probably see a compromise. But by then we’ll have given All-Star Josh Gorges a 10 year, $45M contract because he’s so… uh… leaderly ?

Looking at the crop of FA forwards, I’m *almost* warming to the idea of offering Jagr 3-3.5M to chase Plekanec and Cammalleri around the ice. Not that he’d likely take it. But I cringe at the notion of Brooks Laich being worth 4.5M – complete foolishness. The other alternative is give Ville Leino the 3.5M he wants. I’d wager 2 blinks and a yawn that PG says d) none of the above and says, “we’re confident in the players we have under contract.”

You’re not sexist. I’m a woman and I find it weird. I love my hockey, but my legs are smooth!
For the record, I’m not a big fan of the playoff beard either. Makes everyone look like lumberjacks. (Nothing against lumberjacks, mind you).

If you hate the Bruins or cheer for the Nucks, the result was enjoyable for sure.
As for being an enjoyable hockey game, it was kinda lacking.
It was also somewhat annoying having it 8pm, and I was dreading overtime…

One thing I found amusing was Chara taking a face-off, and him being the guy planted in front of Luongo on the powerplay.

I’m liking Brendon Nash. What are the chances of him cracking the top 7 next year? 6’3, 210 pounds, had a good year with Hamilton. Plays with poise, makes the right decisions with the puck, keeps it simple defensively and can provide offense. He also comes at a cheap price. Besides, if he plays with Gill (the ultimate mentor), you never know.

If a player just turns 18, gets drafted, they play their 18th & possibly 19th year in jr… it’s not unreasonable to develop 2-3 years beyond that in the minors.

The Habs have purposely drafted in the U.S. system, with the result that players may spend longer playing collage hockey before AHL, but their ELC’s typically start that much later in their development, so for guys who bloom late there’s more years before UFA status.

I’m liking Brendon Nash. What are the chances of him cracking the top 7 next year? 6’3, 210 pounds, had a good year with Hamilton. Plays with poise, makes the right decisions with the puck, keeps it simple defensively and can provide offense. He also comes at a cheap price. Besides, if he plays with Gill (the ultimate mentor), you never know…

I’m liking Brendon Nash… what are the chances or him cracking the top 7 next year? 6’3, 210 pounds, had a good year in Hamilton. Plays with poise, makes the right decisions with the puck, plays steady defensively and can provide offense. He also comes at a cheap price. Besides, if he plays with Gill (the mentor), you never know…

I’m liking Brendon Nash… what are the chances he cracks the top 7 next year? 6’3, 210, had a good year in Hamilton. He plays with poise, makes the right decisions with the puck, keeps it simple defensively, and can provide offense (30 pts). He also comes at a cheap price.

Wow. Mark MacMillan’s 6’1″ and 150 pounds. That guy must be a twig. HockeyDB has him at 160. I checked to make sure it wasn’t a typo.

I wonder if Alain Berger can keep up his numbers in the AHL, if he makes the team.

The future right there in Gallagher, Kristo, Leblanc and Bournival. Figuring that these players are 2-3 years away from the NHL, and it usually takes 2-3 years for players to start hitting their stride, the Habs look to be in good shape for their 5 Year Plan version 3.0. 😉

Arpon’s piece was as usual excellent but I would have left the door open a bit for a surprise occuring in training camp amongst defencemen. You can take names like Markov (contract will be signed), Gorges, Subban and Gill to the bank. If you believe Yemelin will make the team then that leaves one spot left for debate and that’s Spacek. Either Nash, Carle, Weber or Diaz might be able to play themselves onto the team in his spot. It would free up $4 million as well in cap space.

3.25M cap hit for a #5 defensemen. No, once again Mr. Basu is letting his player-love affect his analysis. If the Habs give Gorges that kind of coin I’ll scratch Gauthier off the list forever. Polak isn’t a bad comparable, but he’s 30 lbs heavier, a right handed shot, and can actually defend the front of net instead of always ending up in it. Anything past 2.75M would be ludicrous for a smallish D with no offensive game.

Agree 100% Bwoar, also, St. Louis needs to pay a premium to keep players there. That franchise is not what it used to be. Polak is a much stronger/bigger version of Gorges. Has developed quicker than Josh also.

I still like Josh alot, but no reason to be paying him 3mill + . He wants to come back and should be realistic of his role on this team.

Gallagher will make it(his coach in Vancouver is the WJC coach). Tinordi will probably make the US roster but he’s no shoe in and Bournival is likely to be left off of the team due to his age. Although he could be added if the team needs a veteran presence. Though they won’t with several players returning from last year’s squad.

Tom, I wouldn’t be so quick to write off Bournival yet. He was the last cut last year, and by all accounts, that was not an easy cut to make. He is also a very hard worker and the captain of his team. I think he will have a very good chance of making it.